Thursday, September 6, 2018

Before we begin this weekend's first concert preview post, just a heads up that the Sault Music Newsletter Facebook page is advertising 3 Day Millionaires concerts this weekend at Reggie's West, despite that band's dissolution in July. I believe those shows were once a thing, but obviously not anymore post-breakup. As for this weekend's official hard rock & punk concerts in the Soo area, we'll be holding our Joe's Weekend Warrior Fest and Tym Morrison previews for tomorrow's post due to the amount in today's, so things are spread out more evenly. Now, here's what you should know to start this weekend, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to Room 21 as their Fishbowl Friday headliners TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this concert was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Tuesday. Last seen as campfire jam hosts at the Northern Vibe Festival, this will be the Elements side project's first Room 21 gig in over a month, so if you've missed this fan favourite unit above Low & Slow, head there TOMORROW! The event page teases that there will be "all the Jonas you can take", which seems to imply that Elements drummer Jonas Gasperas will be a guest musician TOMORROW, but that's not firmly stated. This concert has a 19+ age limit, 10:00 PM start time, and no announced cover charge, while fishbowls full of adult beverages will be on sale for $8 if that floats your boat. Visit the above links for more details on TOMORROW's concert, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!

Next up, we'll take a quick detour to Kinross, Michigan, where local classic/hard rock veterans Banned will play their third and final 2018 concert at the Jack Passmore Grandstand at Kinross Speedpark during this year's auto racing season TOMORROW NIGHT! After two prior shows this summer as post-practice entertainment, tomorrow's previously announced concert will see Banned playing their familiar cover selection after the Four Cylinder Friday races during the Memorial Invitational weekend events to cap off this year's racing schedule in Kinross. Unlike their prior 2018 gigs here, Banned are not playing Saturday at the grandstand, with Rudyard classic rockers Steelhead playing post-race that day instead. Expect a 9:00 PM start time with no age limits, and admission is $5 for Friday's race (kids are FREE.) Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Banned live!

Finally for today's concert preview post, let's head to nearby Leeburn, Ontario for the second annual Oh!No music festival, as Six, Two, Oh. are bringing 18 acts to "Robbie's Church" there for a day full of musical mayhem THIS SATURDAY! As well hyped in local news media, at 1990s dance parties, and via ticket sales at the MS Norgoma, this day-long festival will feature food vendors, overnight camping, and a "bring your own beer" policy, so if you loved last year's ambiance, you're in good hands for Oh!No II!The official schedule for the festival was quietly posted on the Facebook event page last month, and it confirms a few unreported band withdrawals and replacements, so who's out? Specifically, local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver, local indie/alt-rock quartet Id Iota, and drone/noise rock trio Pointless, and while reasons weren't stated for their exits, note that Shit Liver hadn't publically ended their summer break at press time. Hopefully all's well in their camps! Also, remember that Vol. already dropped out upon their breakup earlier this year.

Peterborough doom rapper Garbageface (a favourite at 2017 shows here) will close this year's festival at 1:00 AM, while Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog (featuring former Lion Ride guitarist Mark Rand) will end a 5 year hiatus from the local stage as the highest slotted metal/punk band at 12:00 AM. Sudbury "psychedelic party rock" quintet The Therapists will ostensibly replace Shit Liver at 11:15 PM for their regional concert debut, while the preceding 3 bands are all out of town acts returning from last year's Oh!No Fest, including Thunder Bay desert rock quintet The Franquilizers at 10:15 PM, Sudbury punk band Lightmares at 9:15 PM, and Barrie punk quartet Beaver Slap at 8:30 PM. Two festival newcomers will open the out of town half of the schedule, namely London post-grindcore trio Fat Cop at 7:45 PM and Toronto indie rock quartet Forest City Aurora at 6:45 PM. Your closing local act at 6:00 PM is Planet Rock, the new hip hop project from 2017 performer DJ Seith and rapper St. James.

The all-local opening half continues with new surf-rock quartet The Dynowaves (featuring 2017 performer Brenton "Slumshine" Ellis) at 5:20 PM, and punk/metal quintet Jack Spades at 4:40 PM, while indie rock duo Mik & Steve will replace their predecessor band Vol. at 4:00 PM. Three more returning local bands precede them, including death metal quartet Winkstinger at 3:20 PM, alt-punk trio A Dire Setback at 2:40 PM, and funk/hard rock quartet The Elements at 2:00 PM. Indie/folk solo artists Jackson Reed & Shae Tull will play short afternoon sets at 1:30 & 1:00 PM respectively, while one more new confirmation will kick off this year's festival at 12:30 PM, namely former Honest Job frontman Mister Tahti in a rare solo set. Despite some lineup changes and a drop from 19 bands to only 18, this is a stacked all-day lineup, so be sure to check out the above bands, new and old! Admission for this ALL AGES festival is $35 in advance and $40 at the door, which may be higher than last year, but remember that this year's lineup has more bands.

Tickets are available at The Rad Zone, Case's Music, and via local performers, while visit the Facebook event page linked above for details on how to get to "Robbie's Church". Also, given the relatively remote location, ride sharing is an encouraged method to get to Leeburn if you don't have an available vehicle or if you find a cab to be expensive. This year's Oh!No festival is shaping up to be another great day of local and out of town music, with a little something for many tastes, so be sure to check the above links for full details on all of the action in Leeburn on Saturday, and for a preview, here's Cross Dog live in Sault Ste. Marie back in 2013!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Joe's Weekend Warrior Fest preview and more next! Thanks everyone!